How to Protect Your Baby from the Flu

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Get your baby vaccinated against the flu at six months of age.The earliest age that a baby can receive a flu vaccine is at six months.

   It is highly recommended by doctors to get your baby vaccinated at this time, because catching the flu at a young age can be much more serious than it is for older children and adults.
   
   Prior to the age of six months, when your baby is not vaccinated, it is advisable to take extra precautions to prevent him or her from catching the flu.
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   Step 2: Ask your doctor for your own flu vaccine.In addition to getting your baby vaccinated as soon as he or she is old enough (at six months of age

   The purpose of this is that it reduces the chances that someone living in the home will catch the flu.
   
   Your baby is in turn at reduced risk if the people around him or her are not sick with the flu.
   
   There is a new flu vaccine available every year that is tailored to the strains of the flu virus that are expected to be most prevalent for that year.
   
   You can receive a flu vaccine annually at your family doctor's office or local pharmacy or health department. , If a relative or friend wants to visit and see your baby and he or she is ill, explain that you do not want to put your baby at an increased risk of catching the flu.
   
   It is okay for guests to visit once your baby's fever has been gone for at least 24 hours (without the use of medications that reduce fever). , This is because the medical and health benefits of breastfeeding are numerous.
   
   Breastfeeding transfers antibodies (which help to fight off any type of infection) from the mother to the baby; without breastfeeding, your baby would not have access to these antibodies at such a young age, as his or her immune system would not yet be sufficiently developed.
   
   Therefore, breastfeeding can help to prevent the flu as well as helping to combat any other type of infectious germs your baby may come into contact with.
   
   If you cannot breastfeed exclusively, even breastfeeding part-time is better than not at all.
   
   Another option is to pump breastmilk and to store it for later use, such as when you are at work and unable to breastfeed your baby in person. , During this time period, keep your baby at home as much as possible in an effort to avoid unnecessarily exposing him or her to germs that could lead to a potentially serious infection. ,), book an appointment with your family doctor.
   
   Due to the possibility that an infection could be more serious in a baby, it is important for your baby to be evaluated by a doctor.
   
   If it does turn out to be the flu, the doctor will likely offer anti-viral medications (Tamiflu) to help your baby's immune system fight off the infection.
   
   Keep in mind that the flu is more common in the United States during the months of November through March.
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   Step 3: and every year thereafter)

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   Step 4: you (and anyone else living in the same house) should also get immunized.

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   Step 5: Do not allow sick guests in the home.While your baby is young (under six months of age)

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   Step 6: it is important to set a strict rule to not allow any sick guests into the home.

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   Step 7: Try to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months.In an ideal world

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   Step 8: every mother would be able to breastfeed their baby exclusively for the first six months of his or her life.

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   Step 9: Keep your baby relatively isolated for the first two months of life.Your baby is especially vulnerable to infections in the first two months of life

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    Step 10: before he or she has received any of the standard vaccinations.

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    Step 11: See a doctor when needed.If you do notice your baby developing signs of an infection (such as a fever

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    Step 12: a cough

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    Step 13: lethargy

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    Step 14: a poor appetite

Detailed Guide

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